Dodgers must be wary of enemy Jurickson Profar and the Padres' excellent vibes

The Dodgers and Padres see a lot of each other annually, but the vibe both teams have been giving off in recent years is that they wish they could avoid one another. The LA/SD rivalry has been heating up over the last few seasons, and seems to be at its fullest power this year, after Jurickson Profar and Will Smith had a heated conversation that led to benches clearing back in April. Smith infamously referred to Profar as "irrelevant" after that game, and then Profar hit back with a game-winning, bases-clearing double in the third game of the series.

The teams have met for a single series since then, which the Dodgers once again lost, and have two more — one at the end of July and another at the end of September — scheduled. Both are sure to set off fireworks; if not on-field, then at least online between fans.

The Dodgers are the indisputable champions of the NL West, but the Padres do have a winning record and are running in second (8.5 games behind the Dodgers). They've spent most of the season just barely keeping their heads above .500 and occasionally dipping below, but after a sweep against the Nationals this week, they're finally starting to pull away from mediocrity by the tiniest of margins.

As dislikable as the Padres are, that team is undeniably having a lot of fun lately, and who else would be at the center of that fun if not LA's sworn enemy Jurickson Profar?

The Padres' good vibes train rolling (and Jurickson Profar still hitting like a monster) will infuriate Dodgers fans

Profar must like fighting with catchers specifically. He had another near-dustup at the plate with Nats catcher (and former top Dodgers prospect, funnily enough) Keibert Ruiz, who took exception to a homer celebration in Game 1, which led to benches clearing once more. After things settled down, Profar got back into the box and immediately took a pitch to the shin(guard), leading to Mike Shildt arguing with the ump and getting ejected from the game. Stop us if you've heard this one, but later in the contest, Profar hit a prolific grand slam to ice it.

The Padres went on to win that game, followed the last of the series the next day. It's getting pretty clear that the Friars are fueled by pettiness, and maybe Profar most of all. He's (unfortunately) become one of the best players in baseball this season. He has a ridiculous 18-game on-base streaking ongoing, and his .408 OBP is the best in the National League.

After the Padres' victory after that Ruiz incident, Profar said to reporters, "We have a really good team and we got each other's backs."

Okay, the Padres are feeling good now, but let's hope someone humbles them before they see the Dodgers again in July and LA has to take it upon themselves.